A Bridge Can Often Be Used to Replace a Severely Cracked Tooth

As hard as your tooth enamel is, there are still extreme circumstances when a hard blow to the face can shatter or severely crack a tooth. This is even more likely to happen if you participate in high-risk activities, like playing in contact sports without the protection of a quality mouthguard.

If the crack in the tooth severely damages the internal pulp or root, your dentist, Dr. [doctor_name], might not be able to save it. In a case like this, your dentist might need to extract the tooth. After your gums have healed, [heshe] can help you decide if you would like to restore the tooth by installing a dental bridge.

A dental bridge in [city], [state], is two crowns fused together with a third representative tooth in the middle. It is mounted on a pair of abutments that are formed by the two closest neighboring teeth.

It often takes two separate appointments to completely install a bridge. During the first appointment, your dentist will examine the two neighboring teeth to make sure they are completely healthy.

Then, [heshe] will use a drill to remove the tooth enamel from the two neighboring teeth. This creates a pair of abutments that will later anchor your bridge.

The dentist will cast a detailed impression of the area. This will be sent to our off-site dental lab to serve as a guide for the technicians when custom making your final bridge. Once this is done, a hard, plastic, temporary crown will be secured over each abutment to protect them.

We will call you to schedule your second appointment when the dental lab technicians have completed your new bridge. The temporary crowns will be removed and your new bridge will be cemented into place during this appointment.

If you have a cracked or otherwise damaged tooth you should not delay in contacting [practice_name] at [phone] to have it treated and replaced.